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The Sunday EXPRESS-NEWS, San Antonio, May 1, 1988 Page 7-H Texas artists reject stereotypes [[image - painting]] 'Painting of a Dog/A Dog of a Painting' By San Antonio artist Mel Casas is part of the Third Coast Review at Blue Star. Continued from 1-H with the resources to hire a full-time director. But Moore still thinks the Blue Star is one of the bright spots in Texas. Carlozzi's decision to leave Austin just as the capital city's boom went bust is more evidence of a brain drain that is taking its toll on contemporary visual arts in Texas. She joins other important Texas curators and critics, such Dave Hickey and Susan Freudenheim, who are now Californians. The Contemporary Art Museum in Houston, the state's more important contemporary space, has been in turmoil for some time. Texas, not just San Antonio suffers from not having a strong enough system for supporting the contemporary visual arts. But Carlozzi is an intelligent critic, and Texas artists should be happy she's still interested enough in the state to put together this exhibit and worthwhile catalog. It's probably not worth challenging her selections for this show except to say that about twice as many artists in Texas doing "serious and accomplished" work. In the catalog introduction, Carlozzi notes the show was limited by both preparation time and exhibit space at the Aspen museum. A few prominent Texas artists-- James Surl, Vernon Fisher, Ed Blackburn, Terry Allen, Roy Fridge and Dorothy Hood -- were left out because Carlozzi plans to feature them in other exhibits in Aspen. So this show might be described more accurately as Carlozzi's favorite Texas artists plus a few newcomers plus many favors to old friends in Austin. Most of her weakest picks are from Austin. Cultural clash Call me a chauvinist, but I think the clash, collision, and comity of Anglo and Mexican Cultural Influences make for the most interesting variety of Texas Art which, naturally, means that a lot of the best art in the state is being made in South Texas. And, these may be fighting words, but I think the tendency of the Houston, Dallas and Austin media to look down on San Antonio as a sleepy "Mexican and military" town is partly the product of intellectual snobbery and racial bigotry. But it's no mistake that the national media are usually first attracted to the Mexican flavor in Texas Art. When New York critic Jamey Gambrell made a trip through the state for "Art in America" in 1987, he started with Michael Tracy and Eric Avery, who live near the border in San Ygnacio. Avery prints and Tracy's sculptures are profoundly influences by Mexican Culture, and Carlozzi is careful to include them. Carlozzi is fully aware of the problems Texas artists have with getting critical attention. She notes that this exhibit is partly designed to "redress the imbalance of critical attention available to artists living outside New York City, which in the past 10 years has become increasingly narrow in its interests." While New York artists attempt to refine the most popular styles from previous decades, Texas artists are involved in more diverse exploration of direct experience. "Artists in Texas have been making bold, confrontational statements about the rituals of contemporary life their state," Carlozzi notes. "Refuting the myths about Texas perpetuated by mainstream culture, they have drawn upon the traditions of Southern narrative and mysticism and rural black and Mexican folk art for style and imagery. Humanism has always been inherent in the content of Texas Art. "By making reference to the heritage and mythology for their region, Texas artists have strived to illuminate the clash of the new technological era with the values and experiences of the traditional lifestyle. Yet, even as they have unabashedly alluded to the region's geography, history, and cultural conventions, these artists have extended their vision beyond state boundaries and have tried to transform a more regional aesthetics into a more universal expression of 20th century American Life." San Antonio painters Richard Thompson and Mel Casas, the two San Antonio painters Carlozzi included, are good examples of artists working through these issues. Thompson's work looks at a fantastic future that isn't quite as promising as we hoped. Casas' vibrant, confrontation art springs from life in the barrio. Both both work in styles that strive for universality. Internationalist and diversity are the most prominent hallmarks of current Texas art. Cathy Vargas of San Antonio is one of only three photographers included. Her work is much more subtle and introspective than the staged scenes, such as a man getting punched in the stomach in "Violence," by Nic Nicosia of Dallas. Nicosia's work, with its obvious references to pop art and television, was among the most popular in the recent Texas exhibit in the Netherlands. But much of the art coming out of Dallas strikes me as slick and soulless as advertising. The cartoonish cutouts of John Hernandez are high-energy romps through popular culture. The refined abstractions of Joe Guy, Dan Rizzle, Randy Twaddle and Danny Williams are more typical of the high-brow decorative art that has come to be associated with Dallas. Linnea Glatt's cool, contemplate architectural sculptures may be some of the state's most pleasing three-dimensional work. Much more appealing to me, though, is the epic folk art of David Bates, who work highlighted the "Texas Currents" show at the San Antonio Art Institute three years ago. Though trained at South Methodist University, Bases' art is grounded in traditional black folk art of East Texas. The influence of black folk art is almost as important to the artists on the eastern side of I-35 as Mexican folk art is to the artists to the west. Houston underrepresented Although Houston is underrepresented is this survey, many of the major figures are here. Derek Bosier is clearly one of the state's most important artists, his work continues to evolve in a style that might be described as "absurd epic." There's no question that many Texas artists like to make their art big to reflect the larger-than life characteristics of the state. Southern narrative and surrealism are distinctive features of much Houston Art. Matthew Brunner's little man on the lawn, Benito Huerta's contemporary hieroglyphics, Lucas Johnson's bizarre "Picnic in Galveston," Jim Love's nut-and-bold bears and Kenneth Luce's picket fence head provide plenty of evidence of the surreal in Houston art. And surrealism is clearly important to Austin artists such as Malcom Bucknall, Stephen Daly, Robert Levers, Melissa Miller and Bradley Peterson. But among the many artists who are overlooked, I would have to add Ken Dixon of Lubbock, James Johnson of Lubbock, Danny O'Dowdy of Corpus Christi, Donald Roller-Wilson of Houston, Robert Yarber of Dallas, Jesse Morales of Rockport, John Biggers of Houston, Peter Saul of Austin, Earl Staley of Houston, Luis Jimenez of El Paso and More. Critic's picks And, since CASA couldn't find anyone which the moxie to name a few more of San Antonio's best artists here's my list: Reginald Rowe, James Kuiper, Ken Jewesson, Heather Edwards, James Cobb, Gary Schafter, Holly Moe, Margaret Gourley, Henry Stein, James Broderick, Suzanne Paquette, and Andy Villareal. There, it wasn't hard to come up with a dozen names, and there are many more doing work that qualifies are "serious and accomplished." Really, San Antonio does have a far more active art scene than Austin. Perhaps one of the main topics of Contemporary Art Month this year should be: How can we let the rest of the world know?
